Henry Harrison Barnard Papers

Collection

Identifier: RG 30-317

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The papers of Henry Harrison Barnard consist of four modest file units, which primarily document his experiences during the 1860s. His personal correspondence with his family, friends, and future wife, Clarissa Pomeroy, make up the bulk of his collection.

Barnard's letters to Clarissa (1861-62) express his confidence in a short war, the inefficient postal system, the prevalence of sickness–particularly typhoid fever–in the ranks, and every soldier's desire for long and numerous letters. They also allude to a romance between the correspondents.

Barnard's letters to his family and friends are only a little more comprehensive, covering the date span of 1861-66. Included are details covering the events after his discharge from the Army (1864). He wrote his friend, Valney McRoberts, of his journey to Alabama and the beginning of his employment on a Southern plantation (1865). Barnard's letters also document the names of the men in his company, the troubles of writing while at war, the rumors and stories heard around camp, and his own adventures on the march and on the battlefield.

The collection also contains a folder of letters written by people other than Barnard. Although these letters do not directly involve Barnard, their date span (1837-66) places the majority of them in antebellum times. Thus, they may provide additional insights into the causes of the Civil War. Of special interest, this folder contains a letter from Alonzo Barnard, a missionary among the Minnesotan Chippewa, to his niece and Barnard's sister, Abby L. Barnard (1858). This letter, which describes a trip from Belle Prairie to Lake Winnipeg in a horse-drawn sled, caught the attention of the Minnesota Historical Society, which published the find in Minnesota History (March 1934).

In addition to letters, Barnard's collection contains miscellaneous newspaper clippings and receipts. A copy of "Genealogy of the Wood Family" is included; its connection with Barnard comes through his paternal grandmother, whose maiden name was Wood. Finally, the collection contains the commission from Acting Postmaster General Alexander Rundall (1866), which secured Barnard the position of postmaster of Cuba Station, Alabama.

Dates

Creation: 1837-1867, undated

Creator

Barnard, Henry Harrison (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Unrestricted.

Biographical Sketch

Henry Harrison Barnard fought for the Union Army in the Civil War from 1861 to 1864. Following his discharge, he spent time in the South, but eventually settled in Oberlin for the remainder of his life where he operated a grocery business. Barnard was born to Josiah Wood and Sylvia L. Dickenson Barnard in Ludlow, Vermont, on 10 August 1840. He was the youngest of three children including Abby Barnard McRoberts and John Alonzo Barnard. At the age of six he moved to Pittsfield, Ohio, with his family. Barnard studied in the Preparatory Department of Oberlin College from 1858 to 1861. However, he left Oberlin before receiving a degree.

Barnard enlisted in Battery E of the First Ohio Volunteer Light Artillery on 14 August 1861 at the age of 21. As a noncommissioned officer, Barnard served in the Army of the Cumberland, in the campaigns against the Confederate General Bragg, in Kentucky and Tennessee. He was stationed at Camp Chase; Camp Dennison; Camp Andrew Jackson; Camp Jefferson, Kentucky; Camp Mihalolya, Tennessee; and Marfreesboro. Barnard was taken prisoner at Stone River and confined in Castle Thunder and the Libby prison. After the Union coordinated a prisoner exchange for him, Barnard rejoined his battery until they were mustered out against Columbus, Georgia in 1864. Barnard was finally discharged on 1 September 1864.

After his discharge, Barnard traveled to Cuba Station, Alabama, where he worked as an overseer on a plantation rented by Stephen W. Dorsey in 1865. The following year, he received a commission from Acting Postmaster General Alexander Randall to be postmaster of Cuba Station. Barnard served in this capacity until 1867. Barnard recorded his experiences in the South in an article in the Oberlin News of 16 February 1910 entitled "Story of the South Just after the War."

In 1870, Barnard returned north to Oberlin, Ohio, where he remained for the rest of his life. He opened a grocery store in 1887 and kept the business for twenty-five years. Politically, Barnard was a progressive Republican; he was elected as a delegate to the county conventions of 1888 and 1900. Barnard was also a candidate opposing Judge John W. Steele for the post-mastership of Oberlin in 1897, but he was not appointed. He often served as a tax assessor and was the chairman of the Lorain County Soldier's Relief Committee for many years. In addition, Barnard was a charter member of the local Henry Lincoln Post of the GAR, where he twice served as commander.

Barnard married Clarissa Gale Pomeroy (OC 1861-2, 1844-1933), a friend with whom he had much correspondence during the war, on 30 March 1872. They had two sons, Ralph Pomeroy Barnard (OC 1890-94, 1873-1939) and John Earl Barnard (PhB 1898, 1875-1949). Henry Barnard died of a stroke of apoplexy in Dr. John E. Barnard's office in Oberlin, Ohio, on 12 February 1912.

Sources Consulted

Student Files of Henry Harrison Barnard, Clarissa Gale Pomeroy Barnard, Ralph Pomeroy Barnard, and John Earl Barnard, Alumni Records (RG 28/3).

Papers of Henry Harrison Barnard (RG 30/317).

Wilbur H. Phillips. Oberlin Colony: The Story of a Century. Oberlin, OH, 1933.

The Oberlin News, 16 February 1910 and 14 February 1912.

Note written by Jonathan M. Thurn.

Extent

0.20 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Method of Acquisition

The Oberlin College Archives received the papers of Henry Harrison Barnard from the Oberlin College Library on 27 March 1969.

Accruals and Additions

Accession No: 73.

Related Materials

For other collections containing Civil War letters, see the Rufus Cleveland Hovey Papers (RG 30/302) and the Oberlin File (RG 21). This archive holds the records of the Henry Lincoln Post of the GAR (RG 30/140). See also "Oberlin and the Civil War" digital collection by the Oberlin College Archives and the Oberlin Heritage Center, 2012, updated 2021.